Ashley Henry's really taking off here – rising even higher than the promise we've always seen in his music, to a point where a set like this could easily make him a global superstar in both soul and jazz! If you don't know him, Henry's a keyboardist who's contributed plenty to the London ... CD(Jazz CD)
A killer package of tracks from the second chapter of Studio One Records – a time long after the label helped to lay some of the cornerstones for reggae, and continued to do some really amazing recordings on its own! There's definitely some later elements of styles at play here – ... CD(Reggae CD)
A fantastic overview of a crucial indie label on the West African scene – the small but important Albarika Store imprint of Benin – home to the Orchestre Poly Rhythmo De Cotonou and a host of other wonderful groups too! Given that a fair bit of work on the continent was captured by ... CD(Global Grooves CD)
A strongly message-oriented set, as you might assume from the title – and definitely the strongest work to date from the great Isaiah Collier – one of the most righteous musicians we've had the pleasure of discovering in the past decade or so! There's a rich, vibrant feel to the whole ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
An incredible run of music – 19 songs that forever changed the face of soul music, thanks to the genius of Isaac Hayes! In the years before these cuts, Hayes was mostly working as a background talent at Stax Records – part of a songwriting team with David Porter, giving great tunes to ... CD(Soul CD)
Think what you will about Willie Nelson, the man's a hell of a songwriter – one who began giving away some of his best right from the start – not just to country singers, but to blues musicians, soul artists, rock stars, and many others too – as you'll hear in this fantastic ... CD(Folk/Country CD)
Rare grooves from a very unusual source – an album that was originally created to work with dance instruction, but which has a richness that goes way past those simple origins! The album's in a very elite group that also includes the jazz funk dance albums for choreographer Gus Giordano ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
Not "retro soul" in the manner of contemporary artists faking the good stuff – but actual soul gems from back in the day, served up by the folks at Ace Records, who've always given us the best of the best with their reissues and compilations! The package digs deep, and goes way ... LP, Vinyl record album(Funky Compilations LP)
One of the most beautiful, spiritual albums ever from saxophonist Nat Birchall – and that's really saying a lot, if you know his other records! As you can guess from the title, the spirit of John Coltrane looms large on the record – and the tracks are a mix of Coltrane classics and new ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
That's "Motel" California in the title, not Hotel California – and that should give you a good idea of the territory you're hitting here – the lower-rent underground of 70s country-styled rock – not the polished sound of the big groups on the major labels, but instead a ... CD(Rock CD)
The great Andy Smith has been giving us killer compilations for more years than we can count – but it also feels like he's really outdoing himself with this Disco Wonderland series – showing us that there's still such a huge amount of music to discover when you get past the mainstream ... CD(Funky Compilations CD)
Crazy funk from a crazy-costumed geezer with an equally crazy name – one of those lost rare funky nuggets that's every bit as great as you might guess from the cover and title! Boobie Knight's a killer here – and works in a groove that's somewhere between Sly & The Family Stone and ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul LP)
An excellent set from drummer Brandon Sanders – one that not only makes great use of his own work on the kit, but also the vibes of Warren Wolf – always a very welcome sessionmate to our ears! The mix of snapping drums and vibes is great – further augmented by the tenor and ... CD(Jazz CD)
Not the music of Bob Dylan – but a great little set that shows just how much Dylan's influence spread amidst various channels of the music world of the mid 60s – so much so, that it left behind a whole host of unlikely acts picking up some of his sounds and styles – and using it ... CD(Rock CD)
A long-overdue issue of this jazzy Peanuts classic – music that's delighted ears for decades, yet never got the same sort of commercial release as Charlie Brown Christmas music! As with that work, the music here all comes from the genius of Vince Guaraldi – and given the early 70s ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
A fantastic set of tracks that was recorded at the cusp of the 70s, but which wasn't (for some strange reason) released until many years later! Donald Byrd's playing here with two different larger groups, and the music is a perfect bridge between his spacey late 60s attempts to mimic Miles Davis, ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
A really fascinating mix of modes from DIY artist Beth Anderson – music that's partly poetry, partly word play – sometimes with the drum machine bits you'd expect from hip hop, but often with more of the arty vibe that echoes with Beth's presence on the downtown scene in New York at the ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock LP)
The cover image is a great hint at the vibe of this gem of a record from London's Ezra Collective – but as with most of their music, there's a lot more going on than you might expect – certainly not a straight dance record, although the album's overflowing with really wonderful rhythms! ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
A stunning bit of funky female soul from the first decade of the century – a set that was sometimes overlooked on the global scene, but which easily matches the energy and punch of some of the more famous artists on labels like Daptone and Big Crown! Gizelle Smith is a hell of a singer ... LP, Vinyl record album(Deep Funk LP)
A sweet set, and one that's overflowing with smoothly-crafted cuts from back in the day – and a set that's maybe a bit different than others to swim in the yacht rock waters, as it also features a few soul cuts too! Nobody ever used the term "yacht rock" when these tracks were ... CD(Rock CD)